Module 1:

1) Concept of Abnormality: Criteria and Perspectives

2) Classification DSM IV R- Conceptual and Operational evaluation
3) Casual Factors in Psychopathological Behaviour
a) Biological Determinants
b) Psychological Determinants
c) Socio-Cultural Determinants
Module 2:
1)Concept and difference between Neurosis and Psychosis
Module 3:
1) Centralized anxiety disorders
2) Obsessive Compulsive disorders
3) Phobic disorders
4) Eating disorder

Module 1:
Concept of Abnormality: Criteria & Perspectives
Abnormal Psychology is concerned with understanding the nature causes and
treatment of mental disorders.
Family aggregation: whether a disorder runs in families.
What do we mean by abnormality?
Suffering, Maladaptiveness, Statistical Deviancy, Violation of the Standards of
Society, Variation from Normalcy, Social Discomfort, Irrationality and
Unpredictability, Dangerousness.
THE DSM 5 AND DEFINITION OF MENTAL DISORDER
A behavioural or psychological syndrome or pattern that is present in an
individual and reflects some kind of underlying psychobiological dysfunction.
This behavioural syndrome should result in clinically significant distress,
disability or impairment in key areas of functioning. Predictable responses to
common stressors or losses are excluded.
It is also important that this dysfunctional pattern of behaviour not stem from
social deviance or conflicts that the person has with society as a whole.
Epidemiologu: Study of districbution of diseases, disorders or health related
behaviors in a given population. Mental health epidemiology is the study of
distribution of mental disorders.
Key component of epidemiological survey:
Determining frequencies of mental disorders.
Prevalence: Number of active cases in a population during any given period of
time
Point prevalence: estimated proportion of actual active caes of the disorder in
a given polulation at a given point in time.
1 Year prevalence: Counting everyone who experienced depression or any
mental illness at any poijt in time throughoyt the entire year.
Lifetime prevalence: Number of people who have had a particular disorder at
any time in their lives even if they have recovered now.

Incidence: number of new cases that occur over a given period of time, typically
1 year.
Treatment:
Many treatments including different forme pf psychotherapy available.
Types of mental health professionals:
Clinical psychologist
Counselling psychologist
School psychologist
Psychiatrist
Psychoanalyst

Research approaches in abnormal psychology:

Clinical social worker
Psychoatric nurse
Occupational therapist
Pastoral counsellor
Community mental health worker
Alcohol or drug abuse

Sources of information
Case study- Bias
Low generalizability- To draw conclusions about other cases wven when those
cases involve people with a seeminglu similar abnormality.
Self-report data- Introspection
Observational approaches

Concept of Abnormality: Criteria and Perspectives

Classification DSM IV R- Conceptual and Operational evaluation
Casual Factors in Psychopathological Behaviour
Biological Determinants
Psychological Determinants
Socio-Cultural Determinants
Abnormal psychology is concerned with understanding the nature and causes
and treatment of mental disorders.
Abnormality: To have some form of mental disorder:
1) Suffering
2) Maladaptiveness
3) Statistical deviancy
4) Violation of Standards of Society
5) Social Discomfort
6) Irrationality and Unpredictability
7) Dangerousness

DSM 5 and definition of mental disorder

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Mental disorders: Behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that is
present in an individual that reflects some kind of underlying
psychobiological dysfunction.
Stereotyping and Generalisation
Labeling
Diagnostic label

Phobia
A phobia is a persistent and disproportionate fear of some specific object or
situation that presents little or no actual danger and yet leads to a great deal
of avoidance of these feared situations.

1) Specific Phobia Fear of a specific object or situation

2) Social Phobia
3) Agoraphobia
>> Criteria for Specific Phobia
A. Marked and persistent fear that is excessive and unreasonable cued by
the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation
B. Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an
immediate anxiety response which may take the form of a situationally
bound or situationally predisposed panic attack
C. The person recignises that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.
D. The phobic situation is avoided or else endured with intense anxiety or
distress
E. The avoidance, anxious anticipation or distress in the feared situations
interferes significantly with person’s normal routine, occupational or
academic functioning or social activities or relationships or there is
marked distress about having the phobia.
F. In individuals under age 18 the duration is atleast 6 months
G. The anxiety panic attacks or phobic avoidance associated with the
specific obkect or situation are not better accoubted for by another
mental disorder.

>> ANXIETY
Affects three percent of population and is always sort of there
Generalized anxiety disorder GAD
Characterized by excessive persistent and unreasonable anxiety about
everyday things
Persistent
Excessive
Unreasonable
They know that their anxiety is excessive but it’s out of their control to stop it
Symptoms: Irritability, Restlessness, Difficulty concentrating, No sleep, Muscle
tension, Chronic fatigue
>> DSM5 Criteria for Anxiety
1) Excessive anxiety has to be present for more days than not for more
than 6 months
 2) Person finds it hard to control their anxiety.
3) Adults must have 3 or more symptoms and children should have only 1
persistent symptom.
4) Impairment in Daily Life
5) Not due to medication or drug abuse or condition
6) Not better explained by another mental disorder.

Causes
1) Unclear
2) Genetic + Environmental
3) Runs in families
4) Twice as prevalent in females
Treatment
1) Psychotherapy
2) CBT
3) Medication :
a) Benzodiazepines (calming)
b) Antidepressants (SSRIs – elevate mood)
CBT is preferred because there are no side effects as there are in medication
such as dependence, tolerance and withdrawal.

Phobia
Extreme type of fear and going to great lengths to avoid it
Extreme irrational fears of something
Interferes w daily life
Might try to do whatever they can to avoid the confrontation
Hampers their social life and relationships
Irrational fear of an object or situation is called a Specific Phobia
Specific Phobia
a) Fear of animals
b) Fear of natural environment
c) needles
d) Situations
e) Others

Agoraphobia
Fear of public places which people feel its hard to escape quickly and venture
to a safe place
Social Phobia
Overwhelming and persistent fears of social situations or interactions
Being embarrassed or judged
Feel anxiety for weeks leading up to the actual event

Severe anxiety improportionate to the actual event or object’s thought

Physical symptoms
Sweating
Trembling
Palpulating

Everyday fear vs Phobia

Reasonable response// Exaggerated response
Causes
Genetic and environmental

Treatment
Tailor to individual
CBT preferred
Teaches patients to be mindful that their fear is irrational
Worst fears are unlikely
SYSTEMATIC DESENSETISATION
1) Identify anxiety
2) Learn coping technizue
3) Use coping technique

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Characterised by rituals
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a specific type of anxiety disorder
characterised by obsessions and compulsions
Obsessions: Recurrent intrusive thoughts
Compulsions: Actions to reduce anxiety from obsessions

Affects around 3 percent of population

Obsession + Compulsions
Obsessions  Compulsion

>> DSM 5
1) Presence of obsessions compulsions or both
2) Time consuming and causes distress in daily life
3) Not physiological effects of substance or another medical condn
4) Not better explained by another disorder
Cause
Genetic + Environmental
Identical twins are more often affected than non
Serotonin neurotransmission
Treatment
Psychotheraphy
CBT
Exposure & Response therapy: Anxiety lessens when the compulsion ritual is
not carried out
SSRIs – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor

Eating disorder
Bulimia Nervosa
Characterised by rapid out of control Binge Eating and Purging
Binging and purging must repeat atleast once a weak for 3 months
Onset around adolescence, for individuals w low self esteem and desre for
control and are fixated on food, amount and caloric content

Setting unrealistic goals  Don’t accomplish  Binge  Purge to fix binge

Bulimia  Binging + Purging  Anorexia

Overweight/ Normal Underweight

Side effects of purging:

Eroded enamel
Sialadenosis
Halitosis
Mallory Weirss Syndrome
Hematemesis
Dehydration
Hypotensison (Low bp)
Tachyardia (High bp)
Electrolyte depletion
Metabolic alkolosis
Low potassium  Hypokalemia
Endocrine changes
Menstrual irregularities
Diabetes Mellitus because Purging is food restriction and causes starvation and
worsens it

Causes:
Genetic
Social- When individuals are affected due to media// body image etc
Can be seen among athletes, dancers, models, wrestlers

Treatment
Carefil nutrition and weight management
Psychotherapy and CBT

Binging and purging for a period of 3 months atleast once a week and normal
or overweight is the characteristic of bulimia nervosa.